Nothing Sweeter
She gets her first paycheck in time for Valentine's Day. Her first thought is to buy the biggest box of chocolate possible, a kind of repayment for all the things he's done for her over the years. Yet, it seems too impersonal, too flamboyant for his tastes. Her second thought is to make her own chocolates, but she's never cooked anything worth eating before, so she nixes the idea right away. She decides on a small set of raspberry-filled truffles, easily the most expensive thing he'll have eaten before. They cost her entire paycheck but seeing the tiny blue box makes her completely happy.
She sneaks into his office the night before, leaving the chocolates on his desk with a simple note that reads: To Gin, From Rangiku.
The next day, she's practically giddy. She goes along, performing her standard shinigami duties, practicing her kidou, and waiting for him. She works with a smile—a secretive little smile filled with pride. By late afternoon, her excitement has worn off, replaced with growing irritation. She slips by his office, casually peeking in. The box is gone, and so is he. Somewhat mollified, she returns to her duties, still casting hopeful glances at everyone who crosses her path.
The entire day passes without a sign of him. She changes into a sleeping yukata, scolding herself for being such a little girl at heart. She's about to blow out the candle when she hears a tap on the shoji.
He slides the screen open just enough to peek in, all smiles. "Hiya, Rangiku. Can I come in?"
"I haven't decided yet," she says, but he's already opening the screen enough to slip through. He's dressed in a plain black yukata, the ties loosely looped around his waist. His pale skin is all sharp angles against the dark fabric and she shakes her head, smiling. "You still look like you're starving."
He grins at her, casting glances at her ample bosom. "And you've become all soft and plump. Ran-chan, all grown up."
She raises her shoulders a tiny bit. "Mhm. Why're you here, Gin? Don't you know a lady needs her beauty sleep?"
"I got yer gift," he says, and her girlish heart does somersaults, practically giggling in glee. He lowers himself onto the futon next to her, his bony knees pressing against hers. He pulls the blue box from his sleeve. "I wanted to eat it with ya."
She frowns, pulling back. "I got them for you, Gin. You aren't supposed to share them with me."
He looks honestly perplexed. "I've always shared with ya, Rangiku."
"But they're a gift," she insists. "A gift because you're always sharing with me."
"I share with ya 'cause I want to." He presses a small truffle against her lips. "Now eat, or I'll think ya don't like me anymore."
She bites into the truffle automatically. Raspberry liquid stains her lips and she licks at them, savoring the taste. The broken truffle leaks raspberry onto Gin's pale fingers.
"Ah," he says, and quickly eats the other half, licking flavoring from his hand.
Rangiku feels guilty for sharing the gift, but the chocolate taste still lingers in her mouth, heavy and delicious. She glances down at the four remaining truffles, trying to be casual.
Gin catches her gaze. His grin widens; he covers the box and slips it back into his sleeve. "Don't look so surprised, Ran-chan."
She turns away from him, her tongue searching for leftover flavors. "Idiot."
"Rangiku." She glances back and he places his hand on her head, one of the many maddening habits she's eternally trying to break him of. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he says, "Share another with me tomorrow?"
She stares at him, realizing that somehow she's lost again. She shoves him, slipping into her futon and turning her back to him. "Idiot!"
He chuckles. Blowing out the candle, he stops at the shoji. "Nighty night, Rangiku."
She smiles into her pillow. The shoji tap shut and she closes her eyes, impatient for tomorrow.